


From Shadows to Light

by sevarix



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Gen, Jeralt Reus Eisner Lives, Short & Sweet, also yurileth because i'm obsessed, just a sappy au of jeralt surviving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26587945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevarix/pseuds/sevarix
Summary: Jeralt Eisner did not die - instead he disappeared after Byleth went missing, thinking his son had died when the monastery was attacked. For years he hid underground from the church, paying little attention to what was happening on the surface. But one day, he finds himself meeting with The Savage Mockingbird...
Relationships: Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 4
Kudos: 64





	From Shadows to Light

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place after the events of Silver Snow, only difference is Jeralt lived.

Jeralt looked around at the ramshackle dwellings around him. He had heard news over a year ago now that the war had ended, but he still saw signs of it. Still people flocked to his little underground village, hiding safely away from the dangers above. Dangers like the church.

He hated the church with all his being. He wasn’t sure if Rhea was still alive, but he didn’t care. The church still existed and he did his best to hide from it. To save others from it. He wanted nothing to do with the evils that killed his wife and child.

Even after the eight years following his son’s death, he still felt lonely without him around. For over twenty years he had always had him at his side, teaching him to fight, how to survive in this cruel world. And then Rhea took all that away from him.

Jeralt adjusted his face covering and began his patrol. He wore it always, allowing only his eyes to show. Even this many years after his disappearance from the surface, he worried that someone might recognize the Blade Breaker. But in his mind, the Blade Breaker was dead. He had a new title, now. The Shadow Blade.

He did not pick it himself, but he found it tolerable. It became a respected name in his corner of the underground world.

Each of his guards nodded as he passed, though recently they seemed a bit more uneasy than usual. Bandits had been coming and going, and at times there was little he could do by himself and his barely trained guards. The underground was not structured, and often it was hard to tell friend from foe. He mostly worked alone, and only taught those who wanted to help protect their families.

One guard, a middle aged man who hadn’t even held a weapon before meeting him, walked toward him as he approached.

“Sir,” he greeted him. “I… I heard something that might help us. With the bandits.”

“Go on.”

“It might just be a rumor, but one of the newer settlers mentioned a underground lord that helped them in the past. Apparently he has his people everywhere and the bandits fear him.”

Jeralt crossed his arms. He had heard several tales about such a man, and each seemed more exaggerated than the last. “I’ve heard similar things, but never a name. Do you know who he is?”

“I don’t think anyone knows for sure, but I hear he’s known as The Savage Mockingbird.”

Jeralt pondered a moment. He put little trust in others, but having help against the bandits would help his people greatly. “See if I can get a meeting with this Savage Mockingbird.”

* * *

Several days had passed before he had heard anything else about this mysterious lord of the underground. When he finally did, he was surprised to hear he had agreed to a meeting.

Jeralt knew the spot where it was to take place. He had become used to the tunnels by now, able to navigate them with ease. He made sure his face covering was in place before stepping into the alcove, placing his lantern on a ledge. It was currently empty. That was fine, he decided. He preferred to arrive first. Less likely for a surprise attack.

It wasn’t long before someone else approached. Jeralt was surprised by what he saw. A young man with lavender eyes and lavender hair appeared before him. He was not all intimidating, in fact, Jeralt even thought he might be wearing makeup. An uncommon luxury in the underground world. Perhaps he was a lost villager?

But then the man’s eyes narrowed at Jeralt, scrutinizing him carefully. No, this man knew what he was doing. It was then Jeralt noticed his stance, as well as the sword on his belt. It was clear he knew how to fight.

“Nice to finally meet this Shadow Blade I’ve been hearing so much about,” he said with a smirk.

Jeralt was taken aback by his forwardness. “You’re… The Savage Mockingbird?”

He laughed. “Not what you were expecting?”

It was true Jeralt had not expected someone so young, or….

He paused a moment, a distant memory coming back to him. Something about this kid seemed familiar, and not in a good way.

“Wait a moment,” Jeralt said. “Didn’t you… work for the church?”

He looked at Jeralt curiously. “Oh? Have we met before?” He tilted his head. “Now that you mention it, your voice does sound familiar.”

Jeralt tried to keep his composure, but he realized this meeting was starting to go badly. “If you deal with the church, we have no business with each other.”

“Well now, sounds you have something against the church--” He paused, eyes widening with realization. In an instant, his confident composure was gone. “Is that… is that you, Captain Jeralt?”

He hadn’t heard his name used in years, and hearing it from this supposed underground lord who might be working for the church did little to comfort him. With a sigh, he removed his face covering.

“I can’t believe it. We… we thought you had died all those years ago.” He smiled, but it was genuine this time.

“If you even think about telling Rhea, you’re not leaving here alive.”

He laughed. “Rhea’s dead. Seteth is in charge now. And I don’t work for him. You really don’t have good informants, do you?”

It was then Jeralt noticed something on his left hand. A ring, one he would recognize anywhere, one that was etched into his memory, one that had been the only thing to remember Sitri by. In one swift movement, he grabbed the man’s hand. “This ring. Where did you get this ring?”

The Savage Mockingbird looked at him with confusion. “Your son gave it to me.”

Jeralt felt his stomach drop. “Byleth!? He’s… is he… I thought he was…”

“He’s alive. Disappeared for a few years, but he came back. Helped out with the war, killing Rhea, and all that. You really should go visit him. We thought you were dead.”

Jeralt grabbed him by the shoulders. “Take me to him,” he pleaded.

* * *

They walked through the tunnels mostly in silence. Jeralt’s mind raced about what he had just learned. His son was alive. Rhea was gone. And apparently the empire, kingdom, and alliance were gone, too. Just how much had he missed hiding underground? And how did this kid know so much?

“You can call me Yuri, by the way.”

Yes, he remembered now. He remembered Byleth mentioning him a few times. “Did he really give you that ring?”

Yuri nodded. “Yep. We’re married.”

It seemed strange to him, especially given Yuri’s position. “I’m not sure I believe that.”

Yuri shrugged. “Believe what you want.”

They eventually came upon another underground village, not too unlike the one he had watched over, though the people here seemed more at ease. He covered his face again, just in case.

It quickly became clear to him just how respected The Savage Mockingbird was. He assumed it was a name to be feared, but Yuri’s presence seemed to only make the villagers happy.

“Yuri! Yuri!”

A child approached them, a girl no more than eight. She stood before Yuri with a proud smile.

Yuri knelt down and smiled back at her. “Hey, friend.”

“I cooked for my mom like you showed me!” she announced proudly. “She really liked it!”

Yuri laughed. “That’s great! I knew you could do it.” He stood, still smiling. “Make sure you take care of her, all right?”

The girl scampered off happily as they continued on their way.

“Not so savage, are you?” Jeralt remarked.

He smiled sadly. “We can’t always choose our nicknames.”

Jeralt smiled, an action that had become foreign to him. He was certainly a bit strange, but Jeralt decided Yuri wasn’t bad. In fact, he felt inclined to believe Byleth really had married him. 

A bit later they reached the surface. It was still daytime, but rainy. He was grateful the sun was hiding behind the clouds. After so much time away from it, he wasn’t ready to reunite with it just yet. But even still, his heart sank when he saw the grounds of the monastery he hated so much.

“He lives here?”

Yuri nodded. “Yeah, you might be surprised to hear that he was selected as the new archbishop. But he turned it down and let Seteth take over. He’s still a professor here, though.”

Jeralt thought back to when he watched his son teach, and how happy he seemed. It was the happiest he had ever seen him, in fact. He was starting to hate the monastery less.

As Yuri guided him through the monastery, he started to feel a creeping anxiety. Knights still roamed the grounds, and he had no doubts they’d recognize him had he not been wearing his mask. Old memories, good and bad, surfaced in his mind. It was as if he was fated to always return to this cursed place.

At last they reached the private quarters. It seemed Seteth had been treating his son well; his new space was much larger than the small room Rhea had given him. In fact, it appeared to be an entire suite.

Yuri knocked on the door. “Hey, By. I’m back.”

Jeralt stood a few feet away, his mind racing. How would Byleth react? Would he be upset? Had he become resentful? He never had strong emotions, but after everything that had happened…

The door opened and Byleth’s face appeared. His eyes locked on Yuri and he smiled. It was a smile he had never seen on him before, one that, for a moment, made him feel like perhaps he was only dreaming. It was Sitri’s smile, full of warmth and kindness. A smile he never thought he’d see again.

“You’ll never guess who I found in Abyss today,” Yuri said.

It was then that Byleth glanced over to him, confusion on his face.

Jeralt pulled of the mask, feeling tears welling in his eyes. “Hey, kid.”

Byleth’s eyes widened. Perhaps he, too, thought he was dreaming. Then he smiled, and nearly tackled him with a hug. “You’re alive!”

By then he couldn’t stop his tears. Neither could Byleth, it seemed. “I could say the same about you, kid. Thought I’d lost you for good.”

For a long moment, they simply embraced. It was a moment Jeralt thought he’d never again experience. One that seemed like only a distance memory. But here he was, reunited with his child. Sitri’s child.

The life-long battle was over. Rhea had lost. Jeralt had won.


End file.
